Access to north end of tunnel needs work, group says

Proposals for the north end of the tunnel proposed to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct through downtown Seattle don’t do enough to help move freight, according to a business group.

Current concepts for the tunnel’s “North Portal” do not provide adequate entry and exit from Highway 99, according to a letter the Ballard Interbay Northend Manufacturing & Industrial Center Action Committee and its member organizations sent to Ron Paananen, director of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program.

“The configuration of too many turns will make it difficult for trucks to maneuver,” the letter said. “As currently configured, each of the proposed concepts will increase traffic congestion and pollution, with the result being decreased truck and other vehicle mobility.”

The letter was signed by action committee Chairman John Kane, Ballard Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Beth Williamson Miller, North Seattle Industrial Association President Eugene Wasserman and Seattle Marine Business Coalition President Peter Philips. It also called for major east-west truck routes from industrial areas to the north end of the tunnel at Mercer Street.

“It is imperative that these routes be protected through elimination or reduction of on-street parking, traffic lights, ‘sharrows,’ curb bulbs and other impediments to smooth-flowing freight movement along the corridors,” the letter said.

The letter also:

Called for a detailed traffic analysis of design impacts from Shoreline to Burien as part of the supplemental environmental review for the project.

Designation of surface streets near the tunnel as part of Highway 99.

Direct on- and off-ramp access between the tunnel and Mercer Street or Denny Way.

Addressing the location of tolling at the north end of the tunnel in the traffic analysis.

A plan to address the viability of the current viaduct throughout the tunnel construction process.

Given these issues, its unrealistic to expect completion of the North Portal design this year, the letter said.